A new joint venture in development will aim to bring the Ruakura Inland Port to fruition within two years.
Tainui Group Holdings and Port of Tauranga said they plan to develop a 50:50 joint venture which will take an initial 50-year ground lease to establish the inland port. Port operations at Ruakura are planned to start following the opening of the nearby Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway, currently scheduled for the end of 2021.
Port of Tauranga chief executive, Mark Cairns, said: “This new partnership adds to our strong and growing capacity to serve the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
“It combines our own expertise in developing and operating ports, the deep regional connections of Tainui Group Holdings and the scale and efficiencies offered by Ruakura and its road and rail connections.
“By enhancing the MetroPort Auckland to Tauranga rail service with calls at Ruakura, we can unlock significant environmental and economic benefits for freight customers.”
Local communities will also benefit, with TGH modelling showing a potential 60,000 truck movements per year removed from the region’s roads when Ruakura is fully developed.
Port of Tauranga and Tainui Group Holdings have been in talks since initially signing a rail services agreement in mid-August last year to enable Port of Tauranga’s cargo trains running between MetroPort Auckland and Tauranga to service Ruakura Inland Port, reducing the number of trucks on the road.
